Overcoming Cap Anxiety: Part IV Embroidery Project

The advent of the 6 panel or “center seam” cap brought with it a whole new host of problems for embroiderers to deal with. Instead of a smooth, unbroken surface for embellishment, these popular caps present a physical obstruction right in the middle of the sewing field. In some cases the center seam is so thick and rigid that it’s nearly impossible to get a needle through it. But more often than not, it’s the abrupt change in fabric thickness that causes problems.

For the upper thread to mate with the bobbin thread, it’s necessary for the needle to make a smooth transition through the fabric. When the needle encounters the edge of the seam, it may be forced to bend away from the vertical path of travel. In some cases the slight needle deflection will cause the upper thread to miss the bobbin hook pickup point, which results in a thread break. In other cases, there is enough needle deflection, that the thread rubs against the inside edge of the hole in the needle plate, which generally causes the thread to start shredding. In more severe cases, the needle deflects so much, that the tip strikes the needle plate and causes the needle to break.

On some machines, the backside of the seam can cause another problem, it catches the edge of the needle plate during sewing, and momentarily tugs on the cap. This can cause a host of problems including, needle breaks, thread breaks, lose of registration, etc.

It may not be possible to mitigate all of the affects caused by the center seam, but there are a few things that can be done to minimize them. First of all, make sure you are using the correct needle. Traditionally, the 75/11 Ball Point is the most commonly used needle in any shop and it will work on most caps. However, you should be using a sharp point instead of the ball point. Since they cut the fabric, sharps have less of a tendency to deflect. Also, you may need to switch to a larger needle such as the 80/12, to further reduce the tendency to deflect. One other needle option is to use a teflon coated one, since it generally passes through fabric a little more smoothly, than the traditional stainless steel needle.

The second aspect is backing. Not all caps need backing, but the unconstructed styles do. Heavy, stiff backing will reduce cap sewing problems, by maintaining the shape during sewing. However, instead of using traditional nonwoven backing, consider using a sheet of standard copy paper, folded three times, like a business letter. This size will fit almost any cap front and adds more stability than the heaviest fabric backing. It also creates a smooth backside to the cap front and eliminates any snagging of the seam on the needle plate. When finished, it tears out just like standard tear-away backing. TIP – If you encounter needle breaks, stop the machine, fold a piece of paper as described, and slide it underneath the cap.

Cap Embroidery doesn’t need to cause an anxiety attack. Just like everything else in this business, it takes some experimentation to get comfortable with the process. The key is to understand the elements and develop a method that suits your shop. Then it becomes a matter of adhering to your plans. Don’t let the customer talk you into something that’s outside of the parameters for quality cap embroidery, like a 3” high design on a low profile cap. Set your standards and stick to them!!